Description of the First French Fort in Present day Ft. Wayne in 1749

WHERE THE FIRST FRENCH FORT. A map drawn by Father Jean Bonne- camps while on the site of Fort Wayne in 1749 (forty-five years before the coming of General Wayne) shows that the French fort of that period (Post Miami) stood on a site which may now be described as a point on the right bank of the St. Mary's river, a short distance north of the Nickel Plate railroad tracks (see map) M. de Ralmond (1748). Ralmond ln 1750 abandoned the. place and erected the last French fort on a site at the junction of the present St. Joe boulevard and Delaware Avenue, on the St. Joseph river, a point also within the present city of Fort Wayne.
Site of the first French fort in present day Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  The fort was adjacent to Coldfoot village that was located on the east side of Van Burean Street.  The sign erected by the Allen County Historical Museum is incorrect.

THE SITE OF FORT WAYNE was the scene of growing bitter strife between the two powerful European nations which told of the waning power of France in the West. Slowly but certainly the English gained the alliance of the powerful leaders of the more easterly Indian tribes, and even the friendship of the Miamis for their French brothers became a doubtful matter.
     "The fort of the Miamis was in a very bad condition when we reached it. Most of the palisades were decayed and fallen into ruin. There were eight houses, or, to speak more correctly, eight miserable huts which only the desire of making money could render endurable. The French there number twenty-two; all of them, including the commandant, had the fever. Monsieur Raimond did not approve the situation of the fort and maintained that it should be placed on the bank of the St. Joseph a scant league from the present site. He wished to show me the spot, but the hindrances of our departure prevented me from going hither. All I could do for him was to trace the plan for his new fort. The latitude of the old one is 41 degrees, 29 minutes."10.
     This decaying fort stood on the right bank of the St. Mary's river in the bend of the stream a short distance north of the present Nickel Plate railroad bridges. It is not difficult to picture the commandant, ill with fever, seeking the advice and assistance of these visitors from a civilized section of the world, who declined to discommode themselves to aid him further than to give him a rough draught to guide him in the building of a new fort. But, perhaps, the depression of spirit extended also into the heart of the Celeron. "On the 26th," said he, "I called to me Cold Foot, chief of the Miamis at Kiskakon. and other principal Indians, to whom I repeated, in the presence of M. de Raimond and the officers of our detachment what I had said at the village of LaDemoiselle and the answers I got from them. After listening with much attention, he [Cold Foot] arose and said to me : 'I hope I am deceived, but I am sufficiently attached to the French to say that LaDemoiselle will be false. My grief is to be the only one who loves you, and to see all the nations of the earth let loose against the French." Cold Foot's prophecy was true. LaDemoiselle grew stronger in his opposition to the French and finally drew upon himself a tragedy which marked the beginning of the French and Indian war. Unable to secure a sufficient number of canoes to transport his company by water down the Maumee, Celeron sent some of his men overland to Detroit, at which place the expedition arrived eight days later.
     

57 gruesome stories of Indian capture and torture

The Last French Fort in Present Day Ft. Wayne, Indiana

FRENCH RELICS DUG UP ON THE SITE OF FORT WAYNE.
These three relics of the seventeenth century days of the occupation of the site of Fort Wayne by the French — B medallion bearing the date 1693, a copper kettle and a copper box are of incalculable historical value. The medal lion and the kettle are the property of Kenton P. Baker, 1008 Delaware Avenue. In 1870, while he was superintending some work of excavation at the junction of the present Delaware avenue and St. Joe boulevard, Henry J. Baker, Sr. (grandfather of Kenton P. Baker), uncovered the kettle shown here. It was found to contain some Indian arrowheads and the large brass medallion of which the picture shows the two sides. The indentations of the kettle were made by the ads in the hands of the workman who unearthed the relic. The place of finding the reminders of the French occupation, is the site of the last French fort, erected In 1750. It would seem that the medallion and the kettle have reposed within the limits of the present city of Fort Wayne for a period of nearly two centuries. The medallion was for a time the property of Mrs. C. E. Stapleford, now a resident of Colorado Springs, Col. Mrs. Stapleford ascertained, through correspondence with the mayor of Bordeaux. France, that Gull (William) de Nesmond, whose portrait appears on the medallion which was issued in commemoration of his death In 1963, was a member of a noble family in France. It is interesting to note that an exact duplicate of this medallion, found in the same locality. Is the property of Byron F. Thompson, residing north of Fort Wayne. The small copper box, with a hinged, embossed cover, undoubtedly a relic of the French occupation, is owned by L. W. Hills. It was unearthed by boys while at play in the vicinity of the site of the French fort.

THE LAST FRENCH FORT IN PRESENT DAY FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
Whatever Captain Rai mond may have thought of the refusal of the visitors to interest themselves in the location of his new fort, it is certain that he lost little time in beginning its erection. By the spring of 1750, this new home of his men, high above the surrounding territory, was ready for occupancy. While the former location was on low ground, the new fort occupied a commanding position on the east bank of the St. Joseph river (at the present St. Joe boulevard and Delaware Avenue, formerly Baker Avenue), where today the automobilist, as he hurries past the historic spot looks out upon a landscape to the westward very similar to that which gladdened the vision of these hardy Frenchmen, now made unromantic, of course, by the evidences of civilization. The coming years were destined to weave about this fort of Captain Raimond many thrilling tales of romance, horror and bloodshed. Here were to be enacted the scenes of the love story of the Englishman, Holmes, and its tragic climax of massacre; the tale of Morris who faced death at the stake ; of Croghan and the remnants of the French and British during the days when the young republic was training a Wayne and a Harrison in the school of warfare.
    With the abandonment of the old fort on the St. Mary's, the discarded buildings of the past became the center of an Indian settlement known as a Cold Foot's village, over which Chief Cold Foot presided until his death, which came at a time when his friendship was most keenly needed by the French commandant.
    "My people are leaving me for Detroit. Nobody wants to stay here and have his throat cut. All of the tribes who go to the English at Pickawillany come back loaded with gifts. I am too weak to meet the danger. Instead of twenty men, I need five hundred q • q We have made peace with the English; yet they try continually to make war on us by means of the Indians. They intend to be masters of all this upper country. The tribes here are leagued together to kill all the French, that they may have nobody on their lands but their English brothers. This I am told by Cold Foot, a great Miami chief, whom I think an honest man, if there be such thing among the Indians. * * • If the English stay in this country, we are lost. We must attack them and drive them out."1 To add to the distress of mind of the commandant of Post Miami, an epidemic of smallpox spread over the Maumee- Wabash region during the winter of 1751-2 and carried away as its victims, two of his true Indian friends, Chief Cold Foot and Chief LeGris, as well as many of the Miamis who formed the Cold Foot village.

57 gruesome stories of Indian capture and torture

Artifacts and Description of the Last French Fort in Present Day Ft. Wayne, Indiana

Artifacts from the last French Fort in Ft. Wayne, Indiana

FRENCH RELICS DUG UP ON THE SITE OF FORT WAYNE.
These three relics of the seventeenth century days of the occupation of the site of Fort Wayne by the French — B medallion bearing the date 1693, a copper kettle and a copper box are of incalculable historical value. The medal lion and the kettle are the property of Kenton P. Baker, 1008 Delaware Avenue. In 1870, while he was superintending some work of excavation at the junction of the present Delaware avenue and St. Joe boulevard, Henry J. Baker, Sr. (grandfather of Kenton P. Baker), uncovered the kettle shown here. It was found to contain some Indian arrowheads and the large brass medallion of which the picture shows the two sides. The indentations of the kettle were made by the ads in the hands of the workman who unearthed the relic. The place of finding the reminders of the French occupation, is the site of the last French fort, erected In 1750. It would seem that the medallion and the kettle have reposed within the limits of the present city of Fort Wayne for a period of nearly two centuries. The medallion was for a time the property of Mrs. C. E. Stapleford, now a resident of Colorado Springs, Col. Mrs. Stapleford ascertained, through correspondence with the mayor of Bordeaux. France, that Gull (William) de Nesmond, whose portrait appears on the medallion which was issued in commemoration of his death In 1963, was a member of a noble family in France. It is interesting to note that an exact duplicate of this medallion, found in the same locality. Is the property of Byron F. Thompson, residing north of Fort Wayne. The small copper box, with a hinged, embossed cover, undoubtedly a relic of the French occupation, is owned by L. W. Hills. It was unearthed by boys while at play in the vicinity of the site of the French fort.

THE LAST FRENCH FORT IN PRESENT DAY FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
Whatever Captain Rai mond may have thought of the refusal of the visitors to interest themselves in the location of his new fort, it is certain that he lost little time in beginning its erection. By the spring of 1750, this new home of his men, high above the surrounding territory, was ready for occupancy. While the former location was on low ground, the new fort occupied a commanding position on the east bank of the St. Joseph river (at the present St. Joe boulevard and Delaware Avenue, formerly Baker Avenue), where today the automobilist, as he hurries past the historic spot looks out upon a landscape to the westward very similar to that which gladdened the vision of these hardy Frenchmen, now made unromantic, of course, by the evidences of civilization. The coming years were destined to weave about this fort of Captain Raimond many thrilling tales of romance, horror and bloodshed. Here were to be enacted the scenes of the love story of the Englishman, Holmes, and its tragic climax of massacre; the tale of Morris who faced death at the stake ; of Croghan and the remnants of the French and British during the days when the young republic was training a Wayne and a Harrison in the school of warfare.
    With the abandonment of the old fort on the St. Mary's, the discarded buildings of the past became the center of an Indian settlement known as a Cold Foot's village, over which Chief Cold Foot presided until his death, which came at a time when his friendship was most keenly needed by the French commandant.
    "My people are leaving me for Detroit. Nobody wants to stay here and have his throat cut. All of the tribes who go to the English at Pickawillany come back loaded with gifts. I am too weak to meet the danger. Instead of twenty men, I need five hundred. We have made peace with the English; yet they try continually to make war on us by means of the Indians. They intend to be masters of all this upper country. The tribes here are leagued together to kill all the French, that they may have nobody on their lands but their English brothers. This I am told by Cold Foot, a great Miami chief, whom I think an honest man, if there be such thing among the Indians. * * • If the English stay in this country, we are lost. We must attack them and drive them out." To add to the distress of mind of the commandant of Post Miami, an epidemic of smallpox spread over the Maumee- Wabash region during the winter of 1751-2 and carried away as its victims, two of his true Indian friends, Chief Cold Foot and Chief LeGris, as well as many of the Miamis who formed the Cold Foot village.

                                              57 gruesome tales of Indian capture and torture

Where the First French Fort Stood in Ft. Wayne, Indiana

Where the First French Fort Stood in Ft. Wayne, Indiana

WHERE THE FIRST FRENCH FORT STOOD IN FT. WAYNE, INDIANA FIRST CONSTRUCTED AS EARLY AS 1680 Bonne In 1750, the buildings of the post were abandoned and became the center of Coldfoot Village and Indian settlement presided over by Chief Coldfoot

On the 20th, the canoes were burned and the expedition departed overland for the post on the site of Fort Wayne, "each one carrying his provisions and baggage," writes Celeron, "except the officers, for whom I had procured horses and bearers." This strange expedition, as it approached the site of Fort Wayne was formed into four companies, each with an officer at the right and left. "On the 25th," says Celeron in his journal, "I arrived at M.de Raimond's who commands at Kiskakon, staying there only as long as it was necessary to buy provisions and canoes to convey me to Detroit. ' ' A more appreciable reference comes from the journal of the Reverend Father Jean de Bonnecamps. Describing first the march along the banks of the St. Mary's, wherein they "found large crabs in abundance," the priest's story continues with the account of the arrival here. He wrote : "The fort of the Miamis was in a very bad condition when we reached it. Most of the palisades were decayed and fallen into ruin. There were eight houses, or, to speak more correctly, eight miserable huts which only the desire of making money could render endurable. The French their number twenty-two; all of them, including the commandant, had the fever. Monsieur Raimond did not approve the situation of the fort and maintained that it should be placed on the bank of the St. Joseph a scant league from the present site. He wished to show me the spot, but the hindrances of our departure prevented me from going hither. All I could do for him was to trace the plan for his new fort. The latitude of the old one is 41 degrees, 29 minutes. This decaying fort stood on the right bank of the St. Mary's river in the bend of the stream a short distance north of the present Nickel Plate railroad bridges.

Burning of the French Fort in Present Day Fort Wayne, Indiana

Burning of the French Fort in Present Day Fort Wayne, Indian

Miami Indians burning the French Fort in present day Fort Wayne, Indiana

BURNING OF THE FRENCH POST MIAMI (SITE OF FORT WAYNE) 1747.

   During the period of the Chief Nicolas conspiracy, in 1747, while the commandant, Ensign Douville, was absent in Detroit, the savages attacked the post situated on the St. Mary,s river in the present city of Fort Wayne and partially destroyed it with fire. The post was rebuilt, and later, in 1750 a new fort was; established on the left bank of the St. Joseph river. 

                                         57 gruesome stories of Indian capture and torture

Miami Indians Burn the French Fort in Present Day Ft. Wayne, Indiana

Miami Indians Burn the French Fort in Present Day Ft. Wayne, Indiana

The earlier movements of Nicolas, under the direction of the English, were openly displayed in the massacre of five Frenchmen who were returning to Detroit from their trading posts on the White river, in the present Indiana. As soon as the emissaries of Nicolas reached the site of Fort Wayne, they deceived the Miamis into the belief that the post at Detroit, with its garrison, had fallen into the hands of the conspirators and that there remained no reason why the lives of the men at Post Miami (Fort Wayne) should be spared. The Miamis believed the report but were reluctant to massacre the Frenchmen at their post. They did, however, surround the fort, set it on fire, and take captive the eight men who happened to be within the stockade at the time.2 Two of the men escaped and made their way to Detroit where the news of the affair caused alarm and put under way a general preparation to check the spreading disaffection of the savages. The stockade and buildings on the site of Fort Wayne were but partially destroyed. At the time of the attack, Ensign Douville was absent from the past over which he held temporary command. He had been sent from Detroit to the Miamis for the special purpose of inviting them to attend a conference in Montreal," and two of their chiefs, Cold Foot and Pore Epic (Hedgehog) had accompanied him as far as Detroit, at which place the news of the outbreak overtook him. He proceeded to Montreal alone, while the two friendly chiefs returned to their people. Sieur Dubuisson, leaving his post at Detroit, then hastened to the post on the site of Fort Wayne in response to penitent protestations from the Miamis that they had been deceived into a participation in the outbreak, and pleading for mercy because they had spared the lives of the men. The petition of the savages had been addressed directly to Longueuil, urging him to "send back some Frenchmen to them, and not to deprive them of their indispensable supplies, promising him that order would be restored in a short time. That officer yielded to their solicitation, with a view to deprive the enemy [the British] of the liberty of seizing a post of considerable importance."* Dubuisson was instructed, however, to form but a small establishment for the winter. He was supplied with thirty Frenchmen to garrison the post, as well as a like number to pass onward to the post at Oouiatanon, on the Wabash. The latter was instructed to rejoin Dubuisson in the spring and return with him and his force to Detroit. It appears that the few Miamis who remained in the region kept their promise of loyalty, but an overt act of characteristic savage cruelty occurred at Post Miami soon after the arrival of Dubuisson and his men. One of the latter, captured by a lurking Iroquois, was scalped and the bloody trophy was carried in triumph to the camp of Nicolas.